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Google Knows All

This thread has reminded me of an article I read once where the author visited one of Google's offices and described a huge video wall which showed in real time all the various terms the internet population were searching for. I remember being quite perturbed the next time I was online looking for new grist for my particular sexual peccadillo mill.

I'm not going to inquire what that is, but apparently web searches have been charting changes in sexuality, and found the younger generation is now less likely to search for topless pics. (er, of women).
 
Reminds of the (apparently documented) story from the US, where a 15-yr-old girl was getting sent vouchers for baby products from Target. Her father went into the store to complain vociferously, but returned a week later to apologise meekly, having only just found out his daughter was up the duff. Apparently the store-card database program picked up the change in foods, toiletries and vitamins that she was buying, and matched it with other women who went on to buy nappies and baby food. That's actually a really simple process on a technical level, but it still sends a slight chill down my spine. I mean, I get sent vouchers for quite specific things that I'm already buying, and I'm fine with that, but the whole prediction thing is a bit much.

Yeah, I posted that story on the board a couple of years ago but no idea where it is now. It was a darn good story though.
 
I have always had gmail. I also have several add ons that will not allow ad displays, cookies, trackers, or unwanted domain connections. All of them are swallowed/deleted by the add on at the end of day when I close my browser.

On occasion, I have to disable some add ons to gain access to certain sites. As soon as I leave those sites, I enable the add ons again. I have on occasion been sent emails from sites like income tax companies or confirmation notifications. My rule is never open any email I don't recognize. I send them all to a spam folder. I delete all history, cache searches, and site preferences at the end of every day. I never receive coupons and I never see advertisements.

It is getting tougher to stay anonymous even trying to download a free VPN service is difficult because of my software being outdated. I am an avid believer that newer is not necessarily better and I do not throw something away unless it is broken or no longer usable. I simply can't afford to.

I have recently lost my cookie eater, BetterPrivacy. It is no longer supported by my browser, BetterPrivacy chose to leave firefox, I don't know why. I really liked the simplicity of it because I am not tech savvy and the only good cookie I recognize is made with flour and chocolate chips. I don't even know what LSO stands for.

Now that I don't have a cookie eater, does this mean google is all up in my business? Am I being swamped by crap on my hard drive?
 
I have always had gmail. I also have several add ons that will not allow ad displays, cookies, trackers, or unwanted domain connections. All of them are swallowed/deleted by the add on at the end of day when I close my browser.

On occasion, I have to disable some add ons to gain access to certain sites. As soon as I leave those sites, I enable the add ons again. I have on occasion been sent emails from sites like income tax companies or confirmation notifications. My rule is never open any email I don't recognize. I send them all to a spam folder. I delete all history, cache searches, and site preferences at the end of every day. I never receive coupons and I never see advertisements.

It is getting tougher to stay anonymous even trying to download a free VPN service is difficult because of my software being outdated. I am an avid believer that newer is not necessarily better and I do not throw something away unless it is broken or no longer usable. I simply can't afford to.

I have recently lost my cookie eater, BetterPrivacy. It is no longer supported by my browser, BetterPrivacy chose to leave firefox, I don't know why. I really liked the simplicity of it because I am not tech savvy and the only good cookie I recognize is made with flour and chocolate chips. I don't even know what LSO stands for.

Now that I don't have a cookie eater, does this mean google is all up in my business? Am I being swamped by crap on my hard drive?

You can delete cookies by going into Preferences > Privacy in your browser. There will probably be a box 'delete cookies on closing' which you can tick if you want.
 
It doesn't have a delete on closing option, but It does let me select ones I don't want. Or I can delete all. Since I don't know the difference between good or bad ones, I deleted them all. I guess I'll have to wait & see if it affects or interferes with my browsing habits.

Thank you, Hunck. :)
 
Oops. Deleting them all has signed me out of all my websites. :( I had to sign back in to post this.
 
This thread started in 2003; that was utopia compared to what we have now.

The headline in this article highlights the 'filter bubble' problem that artificially limits our horizons and serves up different realities to each of us, but (at this stage) the tracking methods--those that effectively 'fingerprint' your device/IP combination using everything from fonts and window size to languages and time-zones--are more of a concern to me (see second article).

It seems that even when you take steps to leave the bubble, you are still inside a second invisible bubble.

Measuring the "Filter Bubble": How Google is influencing what you click
FILED UNDER PRIVACY RESEARCH ON 4 DEC 2018​
Over the years, there has been considerable discussion of Google's "filter bubble" problem. Put simply, it's the manipulation of your search results based on your personal data. In practice this means links are moved up or down or added to your Google search results, necessitating the filtering of other search results altogether. These editorialized results are informed by the personal information Google has on you (like your search, browsing, and purchase history), and puts you in a bubble based on what Google's algorithms think you're most likely to click on.​
The filter bubble is particularly pernicious when searching for political topics. That's because undecided and inquisitive voters turn to search engines to conduct basic research on candidates and issues in the critical time when they are forming their opinions on them. If they’re getting information that is swayed to one side because of their personal filter bubbles, then this can have a significant effect on political outcomes in aggregate.​
Continued at length with experiments and methodical explanations:​

And here's why you can't step outside:

Privacy Mythbusting #4: I can’t be identified just by browsing a website. (If only!)
FILED UNDER CRASH COURSE ON 11 JUL 2017​
When we first released our study on private browsing modes, a lot of people were shocked to see that websites could still track them even when they blocked cookies and used private browsing (aka “incognito mode”).​
To see for yourself, check out Nothing Private, an example site that showcases private browsing tracking in the real world.​
The main method used to uniquely identify and track people while using private browsing is called “browser fingerprinting.” Just as each person has a unique fingerprint, so does every browser. Websites can look at version numbers of your browser, the plugins it uses, and dozens of other points of browser information to create a unique ID, a browser fingerprint, that can then be used to track you.​
Continued with diagnostic tests you can run to verify that you yourself are a victim:​
 
Resistance is probably futile.

Borg.jpg


Nevertheless, I absolutely refuse to click on anything "Recommended for You". That'll show 'em . . .
 
The main method used to uniquely identify and track people while using private browsing is called “browser fingerprinting.” Just as each person has a unique fingerprint, so does every browser. Websites can look at version numbers of your browser, the plugins it uses, and dozens of other points of browser information to create a unique ID, a browser fingerprint, that can then be used to track you.​

A number of years ago I was an admin on a large forum. We had a pernicious problem with sockpuppet accounts, the usual method of blocking by IP had little effect as these users were often on ADSL and could simply powercycle their router to get a new IP address. Some more determined people even seemed to be using mobile hotspots or tethering to get around bans or blocks.

Being a software developer, I decided to tackle the problem with an early browser fingerprinting approach. I was horrified at how easily my software could identify users even when they weren't logged in or were using a new IP address. It was, of course, designed to do this but I was astonished at how many factors there were available to distinguish any particular browser session. As that article states, Incognito mode won't shield you from browser fingerprinting.

This was more than 10 years ago - the number of factors identifying a browser will have increased significantly since then as many new APIs have been released in that time.
 
Does this include posters who are using a VPN ?

INT21
 
Does this include posters who are using a VPN ?

INT21

I am sorry to say that a VPN won't prevent fingerprinting from identifying you by browser. Something like Google, whose services are so widely used across the web, will always be able to identify your browser.

If you are interested in making it harder to be easily identified, ensure you use a very standard set of settings. Don't use custom language settings, only use standard browser plugins and extensions. But realistically, recognise that in all likelihood your browser can and will be linked to other things you've looked at and that given enough data you can be identified by it.
 
I was surprised this week when I was sent a local listing for a property in my area.
I had gone to Google to check on a price on a house that had been sold in our court a few weeks ago although it had said price withheld.
 
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